1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a humoral testing unit for use in performing tests on bodily fluids of humans and other animals. This invention also relates to a humoral testing apparatus using the humoral testing unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As blood testing units for use in performing tests on blood of humans and other animals, blood testing units comprising a slide-shaped support and a reagent layer carried on the slide-shaped support, which reagent layer is capable of undergoing a reaction with blood plasma or blood serum and forming a predetermined color, have heretofore been proposed. The blood testing units are proposed in, for examples U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,901.
In cases where the blood testing units described above are utilized, the blood plasma or the blood serum is spotted onto the reagent layer of the blood testing unit. Thereafter, light is irradiated to the reagent layer having formed a color, and an intensity of light reflected from the reagent layer is measured. In this manner, a concentration of a specific substance contained in the blood plasma or the blood serum, or the like, is capable of being quantitatively analyzed in accordance with the intensity of the reflected light. An example of an analysis apparatus for performing the blood tests in the manner described above is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,901.
In order to quantitatively analyze the densities of specific constituents in the bloodplasma or the blood serum, analysis is often performed for a plurality of the specific constituents. In cases of testing bodily fluids other than blood of animals, such as urine, sweat, and cerebrospinal fluid, a plurality of specific constituents in blood sample are often analyzed.